BRADENTON, Fla. - Carlton Fisk is best known for his famous 12th inning homer in Game 6 of the '75 World Series.

But the former Red Sox catcher who protected home plate from those trying to steal was not home this week when burglars broke into his home in the upscale Panther Ridge Neighborhood outside Bradenton.

"We responded when someone there at the home working pest control saw that there was a forced entry at the residence," said Manatee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Dave Bristow.

Fisk, out of town for the holidays, was notified of the break in. 24 years worth of Major League baseball memorabilia was shockingly left untouched. Detectives say they only discovered the theft of a valuable coin collection.

Whether the thief just didn't like baseball or knew specifically about the coins remains a mystery.

"They were in an area where you would think the person going in there probably had a pretty good idea, I'm going in there for this," suspected Bristow.

The Panther Ridge neighborhood is filled with incredibly beautiful but very secluded homes. In fact, many neighbors we talked to say they had no idea the Fisk home had even been broken into.

"It's certainly surprising because this area is very uneventful and very peaceful," said neighbor John Hargiss. "To our knowledge, we've been here a couple of years now, there hasn't been any break-ins or crime activity."

Longtime Yankee fans, the Hargiss family feels horrible about what happened to their neighbor so close to Christmas.

"To think this happened four doors down from us, even though we're a couple acres apart is concerning and certainly we feel badly for them."

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office says they're hard at work on the case and say they'll be checking local pawn shops and coin stores for any sign of the missing coins.

Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact the Manatee County Sheriff's Office.